[Danstar10]

Hi guys,
After a little advice here. Im trying to add a second HDD to an old computer running XP. Basically it already has a 10GB HDD and is pretty much maxed out.

I have an old HDD ('Maxator DiamondMax Plus 8' 30GB ATA/133) and i want to add it to the computer. i have some basic knowledge, but have not added a HDD before.

Firstly, on the HDD it says to turn it into a slave HDD i should use two 'pin things', could this be correct? or is it suggesting i use one or the other locations for it? the pic attached shows what i mean...

Once that is sorted, i connect it and turn the comp on - what will i expect to happen? Basically i have no software for it etc so will windows be able to configure it itself? Do i need to make any backup discs etc?

Cheers all

Attached Thumbnails

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Hi there

Basically, the picture is correct - i.e you need to place 2 plastic caps across the top, in the positions indicated on the sticker in order to make it a slave.

After that, when you added the drive into the case, make sure you connect it to the middle connector on the IDE ribbon cable, with the master (10GB) drive on the end connector.

You won't need any software. Providing everything is connected correctly & the drive is working ok, then XP should simply detect it & install it. You may need to partition the drive & format it using disk management. Best way to check, is simply to open My Computer. The new drive should appear in there. Double click on the new drive icon to open it. If the drive is not formatted then windows will tell you at this point. If you need help partitioning or formatting, just let us know

[Samm]

Hi there

Basically, the picture is correct - i.e you need to place 2 plastic caps across the top, in the positions indicated on the sticker in order to make it a slave.

After that, when you added the drive into the case, make sure you connect it to the middle connector on the IDE ribbon cable, with the master (10GB) drive on the end connector.

You won't need any software. Providing everything is connected correctly & the drive is working ok, then XP should simply detect it & install it. You may need to partition the drive & format it using disk management. Best way to check, is simply to open My Computer. The new drive should appear in there. Double click on the new drive icon to open it. If the drive is not formatted then windows will tell you at this point. If you need help partitioning or formatting, just let us know

[Danstar10]

Would it make a difference if the HDD already has data on it from a previous comp? i dont think it does as it was a second HDD but what if it has XP OS in it aswell?

[Troy]

Then your computer would boot from the master hard drive, so as long as you follow Samm's advice, your version should load no worries. If there is other data on it, then you probably won't need to format it, you'll be able to access it from My Computer. If you don't want any of the stuff on there, then I would advise to format it anyway (not quick format), give it a good clean.

[Danstar10]

Cheers guys, il give it a go tonite

[Samm]

Let us know how you get on.

One more thing quickly - if the second drive has got data on already then you can format the drive as ruthandtroy suggested, assuming you don't want to keep anything thats on there. However, if you decide not to format it straight away, then I strongly advise you run an antivirus and anti-spyware scan over the second drive instead.
The last thing you need is your system getting infected by something thats lurking on the second drive!

[Danstar10]

All went smoothly, thanks alot guys.

[Samm]

You're welcome